Monday, January 21, 2008

Looking for ways to cut costs

My budget exercise revealed that we are spending more than I thought. So I'm looking for ways to cut costs. Here are some of the most obvious and hopefully easy ones:

#1 - Cut off our phone service. This isn't as drastic as it sounds, we both use our cell phones anyway and have for years. The only reason I even got it is because there was some kind of special deal when we moved if we got cable, internet and phone in one package. I never give out the number, and have only used it a handful of times.

#2 - Save on work lunches. Now that I'm pregnant, I find I am happiest if I eat small meals every few hours. So although I eat breakfast at home, I get "second breakfast" around 9:30-10, lunch around 12 and a snack in the afternoon. It's just lazy to buy a yogurt parfait for $3.50 at the rip-off cafe in the lobby and go out to lunch every day. Afternoon snack is usually fruit. Anyway, I easily spend $15 a day on all this food, which is $75/week or $300/month! Planning ahead and bringing food should save me at least 1/2 this amount, which is substantial.

#3 - I've declared a moratorium on clothes shopping until May. I can honestly say that I don't really need anything at the moment, and it's just stupid to buy things when I change sizes every week. I actually have a $100 store credit at the Gap right now, which I can use in case of "emergency" for maternity tights, nursing bras, or baby clothes (which I figure gifts will get me started anyway).

I've got the day off today for the MLK holiday, and I am working on cancelling the phone. Cablevision does not make it easy! I pay my bills online and tried to find a way to make a change online. No way, Jose. There are plenty of links to upgrades, however. Finally, I called, after a search for a phone number on the website. I talked to the someone pretty quickly who took my account number and basic info. But to cancel my phone, she had to transfer me to the "disconnect department" and said I may be put on hold for the next available operator. It's been 30 minutes! Not sure if I should hang up or if this is just how they "get you" -- make it so hard to cancel that people give up. It IS a holiday, but the message says they are available 7 days a week, so would they really be shut down today? Oh well, I'll keep holding for now; I'm surfing the Internet anyway.

No comments: